Local baby born to mother in family’s bathroom with help from former EMT father

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ST. JOSEPH, Mo. -- A St. Joseph couple is calling their newborn baby a miracle, after he was delivered in the bathroom of his family’s home on Sunday. The father of the baby, Paul Fritz, told FOX 4 his experience as an emergency medical technician helped save his baby's life.

Jessica Fritz, 31, says she wasn't planning on cuddling her baby until a month from now. She says her son, Joe, wasn't due until Valentine’s Day. But on Sunday she says she went to the bathroom at 4 o’clock in the morning and her water broke.

“Stood up off the toilet and I said he's coming and my husband goes, ‘There's no way’ and I said, ‘Yeah, he's coming,’” said Jessica.

The couple thought they could make it to the hospital but the baby had other plans.

“So I squatted in front of the toilet, like an Indian and right there he come out,” said Jessica.

But Jessica says the baby wasn't breathing because they didn't have a bulb syringe to clear the baby's airway.

“My aunt Lisa was on the phone with the hospital trying to tell us what to do and tell him and he goes, I already know what I'm doing,” said Jessica.

“I couldn't concentrate with them hollering so I took my mouth and put it on his and sucked that stuff out of his mouth, that's the only thing I could think of,” said Paul.

Paul Fritz says he was an EMT in the 1990's and his training just kicked in.